Two fishermen pull a paddlefish into their boat as on the Ohio River at Smithland, Ky. / Ed Reinke, AP

by Bill McCleery, The Indianapolis Star

by Bill McCleery, The Indianapolis Star

INDIANAPOLIS - State conservation officers are stepping up efforts to monitor the Ohio River as more commercial fishermen pursue a lucrative catch - the North American paddlefish - in wake of damage to East Coast caviar sources from Hurricane Sandy.

The hurricane has driven a greater number of commercial fishermen inland to the Ohio River in search of the paddlefish - specifically females ready to spawn so they can cut them open and harvest their eggs as caviar, Indiana Department of Natural Resources officials say.

The North American paddlefish, which can grow to more than 5 feet and weigh more than 100 pounds, is one of two varieties in this state harvested for caviar. The other is the shovelnose sturgeon, said Tom Stefanavage, who leads the state's Big Rivers Fisheries Program.

"We're working with our neighbors - Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois - to enforce regulations," Stefanavage said. "Caviar is a very lucrative product and a very lucrative industry. It's a small industry, but just Indiana portion is worth several million dollars a year."

This year, conservation officers already have found violations of laws intended to protect the paddlefish, said Steve Kinne, an Indiana conservation officer.

"We are observing commercial fishermen setting more nets then they can possibly check, attempting to harvest as many fish as they can," Kinne said. We are observing violations such as fishing in restricted areas, setting more nets than they are licensed for and not checking their nets within 24 hours."

Violations can range from misdemeanor to felony charges, according to a state Department of Natural Resources release. Most violations are a misdemeanor resulting in a fine. One fish caught illegally costs $20 with each fish after that costing $35.

People are charged with a felony if the number of fish they sell surpasses $500 in value.

That doesn't take many. This season's caviar prices are projected to reach $85 to $120 per pound, conservation officer Corey Norrod said.

"One large female paddlefish can produce as much as 10 pounds of finished caviar," he said. "Two Indiana commercial fishermen reported harvests of 5,000 to 8,000 pounds of caviar last fishing season."

Even before the hurricane, the decline of top-of-the-line sturgeon species such as beluga, Russian and stellate had increased the demand for paddlefish eggs, officials said.

Before the demise of the Soviet Union, the Caspian Sea provided the bulk of the world's caviar, Stefanavage said. However, after that nation's dissolution, fishermen freed from strict Soviet oversight quickly overharvested sturgeon and depleted the population.

"The added pressure has caused paddlefish to be listed as endangered, threatened or as a species of special concern in 10 of 22 states within the species' remaining range," said Norrod, the Indiana conservation officer. "There has been a noticeable decline in size and populations."

The species, one of the largest freshwater fish, is much more attractive financially than physically. It is sometimes described as spatula-snouted; its Latin species name is polydon spathula. Biologists say the paddlefish, which can live for more than 50 years, is an ancient species that predates even dinosaurs.

Pollution and destruction of aquatic habitat have contributed to the species' decline, Norrod said, "but the largest factor is overharvesting."

In 2007, an 18-month investigation by Indiana and federal officials led to the arrests of 22 people on more than 300 charges related to the illegal harvest of paddlefish from the Ohio River and tributaries where they often move to spawn.

The species can be found in many U.S. waterways, including the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio rivers and their tributaries.